Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants spend most of their time without a gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the completely dissimilar culture that he encounters.

Embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of intellectual science fiction.

I read this before and didn't care for it that much.
Reading it again the idea that gender was suppressed to help them survive on a really harsh planet and that it may have ended war is really interesting.

I see I last read this in 2013 and it made quite an impression on me. I look forward to seeing other peoples ideas on this.

I haven't had the energy to read much lately but I read some of this last night.
I've gotten to the part where it basically turns into a wilderness survival story. I remember this is the part that I didn't like last time. I've enjoyed plenty of stories of wilderness survival before but it's just a weird, abrupt change from the politics and gender stuff.

Thanks for your insights, Book Nerd. I am reading TLHD now, and your comments are useful. I find the language weird, but it seems to have its own resonance and meaning. I am not a great SF-Fantasy reader, but this group has got me going into it with their SF suggestions.

Indeneri wrote: "I see I last read this in 2013 and it made quite an impression on me. I look forward to seeing other peoples ideas on this."

"...it made quite an impression on me."

Why exactly, Indeneri? I accept that Ursula le Guin is a conceptually ground breaking SF/Fantasy writer, but I like her more for her narrative style, rather than any particular scientific basis for her plot.

This is the first ULG novel I am reading, and I seem to be liking it for all the wrong reasons!

Well I'm glad you're liking the SFF. There's no wrong way to enjoy it.

ULG is talking a lot here about how gender and the constant mating urge affects society and what it would be like if we didn't have it most of the time.
Society has progressed a lot more slowly but is a lot more peaceful, though that could be mostly because they live on such a difficult planet.

Do you have to read the other books in the series before this one?

Audrey wrote: "Do you have to read the other books in the series before this one?"

No, this is the best known book in the series and the one most people start with.